Utility attachment for telephones



N v 0, 1956 A. E. RHEA 2,771,195

UTILITY ATTACHMENT FOR TELEPHONES Filed NOV. 6, 1953 .1 INVENTOR. Aomu E'. RHEA AT'TOQNEYS United States Patent UTILITY ATTACHMENT FOR TELEPHONES Adlai E. Rhea, Shreveport, La.

Application November 6, 1953, Serial No. 390,645

2 Claims. (Cl. 211-86) This invention relates to utility attachments, and more particularly to a telephone rack and tray.

It is an object of this invention to provide a utility attachment which may be supported upon the base of the ordinary dial type telephone, so that various articles may be supported upon said utility attachment, the attachment having provisions for supporting such articles,

such as cigarettes, matches, a memo pad and an ashtray, as well as making provision for the attachment of the base of a gooseneck lamp which may be disposed above the telephone, so as to provide illumination.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description forming the specification, and taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a utility attachment embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure l and showing said utility attachment associated with a telephone, and being carried upon the base of the telephone; and

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line 3--3 of Figure 1 showing said utility attachment in place on a telephone.

The illustrated utility attachment, generally indicated at 10, comprises a rectangular frame having spaced parallel side walls 12 and 14 connected together at their opposite ends by end walls 16 and 18, the end walls 16 and 18 extending between the side walls 12 and 14 in right angular relation thereto. The frame is open at the top and bottom. Provided upon each of the side walls 12 and 14 and extending along their top edges 20 and 22 respectively, from adjacent one end wall 16 to adjacent the other end wall 18 are laterally inwardly directed flanges 24 and 26 respectively, which extend at right angles to the vertical plane of the respective side walls 12 and 14 with the free longitudinal edges of the flanges 24 and 26 facing toward each other. The flanges 24 and 26 are arranged to rest upon the top surface of the base 28 of a telephone 30 with the side walls and end walls of the frame closely engaging the sides and ends of the telephone base 28.

The front end wall 18 of the frame is provided with a laterally outwardly projecting U-shaped bracket 32, the bracket 32 preferably being formed integrally with the front end 18, and adapted to receive therein an ashtray 34 having on its upper end a laterally outwardly extending peripheral flange 36 which rests upon the upper edge of the U-shaped bracket 32, so as to support the ashtray 34 within the bracket 32. The rear end wall 16 of the frame has integrally formed therewith a laterally outwardly projecting semi-circular flange 38 lying in the same horizontal plane as the top edge of the rear end wall 16, so that the flange 38 extends outwardly at right angles to the vertical plane of th end wall 16. A circular recess 40 is provided centrally in the lower horizontal surface of the flange 38 and a threaded opening 42 is provided in the top horizontal surface of the flange 38 in communication with the 2,771,195 Patented Nov. 20, 1956 recess 40. The opening 42 is adapted to receive the threaded terminal 44 of the gooseneck 46 which carries at its other end a light fixture 48, so as to provide illumination for the dial telephone 30, when desired. Thus, it will be seen that the flange 38 is adapted to carry a light fixture thereon, and in this connection, it should be noted that the threaded terminal 44 extends through the opening 42 to receive a nut 50 thereon, thereby securing the gooseneck 46 and associated light fixture 48 to the flange 38. A suitable cord 52 passes throughv terminal 44 and is led through the gooseneck to the light fixture 48 and has its other end (not shown), received in a suitable electrical outlet to provide current for the light fixture 48.

The side wall 14 of the frame is provided with an integral laterally outwardly extending shelf plate 54 extending longitudinally along the lower edge of the end wall 14 and perpendicularly thereto from the front end wall .18 to a point adjacent to, but spaced from the rear end wall 16. The shelf plate 54 is provided with upstanding lips 56 and 58, the free lip 56 extending along the longitudinal edge of the plate 54 in spaced parallel relation with the side wall 14, and the lip 56 extending along the Y rear edge of the plate 54. Due to its tapered form,'the

upstanding lip 58 constitutes a reinforcing support for the plate 54. The end of the upstanding lip 58 remote from the lip 56 is formed integrally with the side wall 14 of the frame." The plate 54 along with the upstanding lips 56 and 58 define a platform upon which a memorandum pad may be placed for use in connection with the writing down of messages received over the telephone, and the upper surface of the lip 58 is provided with an arcuate notch 60 adjacent the lip 56 to receive the shank of a pencil when used in connection with a memorandum pad on the shelf plate 54.

Formed integrally with the side wall 12 of theframe and extending longitudinally along its lower edge from a point intermediate the ends of the side wall 12 and extending beyond the front end wall 18 is a generally rectangular, horizontally disposed tray plate 62 extending laterally outwardly from the side wall 12 and perpendicular to the vertical plane of the side wall 12. The plate 62 is provided with an upstanding peripheral wall 64. The wall 64 is of constant height along three sides of the plate 62, but has the rear transverse portion 66 inclined upwardly toward the side wall 12, so that the portion 66 constitutes a reinforcing arm or flange formed integrally with the side wall 12 for support of the plate 62. The plate 62 along with the upstanding wall 64 defines a shallow tray which is adapted to receive such articles as cigarettes, matches, lighters, and similar small objects.

The lower edge of the rear end wall 16 is provided with an arcuate notch 68, and a similar notch 70 is provided in th lower edge of the side wall 12 adjacent the rear end wall 16. The purpose of the notches 68 and 70 is to permit the cord of a telephone to pass under the side Wall 12 or rear end wall 16, so that no undue wearing of the telephone cord will occur when the attachment 10 is placed upon the base 28 of the telephone 30.

The frame and the bracket 32, support flang 38, the shelf plate 54, and tray plate 62 all formed integrally with the support frame, as well as the integrally formed inwardly extending flanges 24 and 26, may be formed of a suitable metal or may be molded from a plastic material in various decorator colors.

In order to place the utility attachment 10 on the dial telephone 30, the receiver transmitter 72 is first lifted from its cradle 74 and the frame, then placed over the top of the telephone 30 and lowered thereon until the flanges 24 and 26 rest upon opposite upper surfaces of the telephone base 28, so that the frame and the elements carried thereby are-mounted on the telephone 30. As will be noted in Figures 2 and 3,. the .lowersurfaces of the frame and of the shelf plate 54 and of the tray plate 62 terminate in a common plane above the bottom of the telephone base;28. ,With this arrangement; it will ;be eyidentthat the-articles, carried .by the utility attachn1ent-10, will always remain in proper relationto the telephone 30, regardless of where the telephone is placed or in what direction it may be turned.

While there is shown and described the preferred embodiment ofthe invention, it is to be understood that -the structure'is susceptible to change and modification within the'practicability. of the invention and, therefore, ;should be limited only by the scope of the'claims. appended hereto.

-.What isfclaimed is:

1. Incombination, a 'telephonenbase having atop, a

,bottomysides andends, anopen frame having sidewalls and endwalls, said side-wallsbeing removably engaged ;-,withsaid;base sides and saidend walls being removably ,engaged with said baseends, saidlsidewalls having upper and lower edges, and laterally inwardly extending flanges ou and extending {along said side wallsin the regions oftheir upper edges, said flanges resting upon the base top andhaving ends spaced longitudinally inwardly from ,saidend-walls, said flanges having. free inner longitudinal edgesspaced from each other crosswise of the frame, and

a U-shaped horizontal ash-tray receiving bracketon and ,projecting'laterally outwardly from one of said end walls.

' 2; .In combination, a telephone'base having atop, a

-,:bottom, sidesandends', an open framehaving sid walls 1 and end Walls, said side walls being removably engaged withsaid base. sides .and said end. wallsbeing rcmovably engaged with said base ends, said side walls having upper and lower edges, and laterally inwardly extending flanges on and extending along said side walls in the regions of their upper edges, said flanges resting upon the base top and having ends spaced longitudinally inwardly from said end walls, said flangeshaving free inner longitudinal edges spaced from each other crosswise of the frame, and alamp supporting flange-on-and projecting-laterally outwardly from one of said end walls.

. References Cited in the file ,of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 98,732 Meltzer Feb. 25, 1936 D. 160,224 Smyth Sept. 19, 1950 D. 173,037 Neustadter Sept. 14, 1954 717,226 Liebich Dec. 30,1902 1,215,495 Crum 2 Feb. 13, 19.17 1,389,424 1 De Brun Aug. 30,1921 1 ,575,492 Marsha Man 2,1926 2,139,113 Cline et al. n Dec. 6, 1 938 2,170,325 Harrison Aug. 22, 1939 2,217,242 Swalleyetal. Oct. 8, 1940 2,437,237 Beitch at al. Mar. 9, 1948 7 2,490,702 -Ognibene Dec.6, 1949 2,572,478 Hawkins .Oct. 23, 19,51 2,599,062 Lederrnann June 3, 19 52 Torrence Aug, 26, -,1952 

